1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program for determining whether a predefined object is imaged as a subject in individual scenes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, ordinary users often shoot motion pictures for themselves due, for instance, to the widespread of low-priced camcorders, well-developed motion picture shooting functions based on the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) 4 format for use in digital still cameras, digital movie cameras, and the like, and improved motion picture shooting functions of cellular phones.
In reality, however, most users do not often view their shot motion pictures, do not take the trouble to load them into a personal computer, edit them, and present them to their friends, or do not even load them into a personal computer.
However, it is conceivable that most users may often view their shot motion pictures and take the trouble to load them into a personal computer, edit them, and present them to their friends if an interesting scene, such as a scene in which a user and his/her friends are enjoying themselves or a scene including a close-up of children, can be readily reproduced or edited. It is also conceivable that users may actually need a function for readily reproducing or editing interesting scenes.
For example, a chronological film roll view and a thumbnail view have been previously used for a scene search. The chronological film roll view displays chronologically and unidirectionally arranged still pictures constituting a shot motion picture. The thumbnail view displays a thumbnail of the first frame or other predefined frame of still pictures constituting a shot motion picture. Both of these views do not make it easy to find a target scene because it is bothersome to confirm the chronologically arranged still pictures within the former view. In addition, the content subsequent to a thumbnailed still picture in the latter view is often forgotten.
The chronological film roll view is a display technique that is used, for instance, by a motion picture editing application for use on a personal computer. The thumbnail view is a display technique that is used by a camcorder or other imaging apparatus.
A scene in which a user and his/her friends are enjoying themselves, a scene including a close-up of children, or other scene that interests the user is a scene in which a human face is visible. Therefore, a previously proposed scene search method detects a human face in a motion picture, presents to the user the motion picture position at which the human face is detected, and prompts the user to select a scene for, for instance, reproduction.
A common face detection algorithm handles a still picture as a target. Therefore, a motion picture containing, for example, 30 fps (frames per second) is thinned to a motion picture containing several frames per second for the purpose of reducing the processing load. The resulting still pictures constituting the thinned motion picture are then searched for a face.
The technology disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-27411 detects not only human faces within a recorded video program but also video scene changes, and selects a motion picture position for reproduction in accordance with the detected information. The technology disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-264757 handles, for example, a broadcast news program, locates a scene in which motion is limited and a frame matching a certain model image (having a particular color distribution) exists, and determines the located scene as a segment in which a face is visible.